The glory of Macksville past - a bustling river port - is slowly reemerging from the mid-twentieth century architectural 'decisions' of a nation which was looking to the skies.
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The story goes that during the 1960s, councils around the state made edicts that all verandahs were to be removed from town centres, after a few unlucky cars came to woe up against the heavy posts.
Modernism was the go, architecturally. The space race was on, and everything old had to be made new again.
- local architect and heritage expert Alan Rudge
In the grips of a brave new world, with faces firmly forward, noone was concerned about preserving history.
The grand old facades - past their prime - were bricked up, or covered with tin, the quaint artisanal embellishments passed over in favour of clean lines.
With 2020 hindsight, it's so very easy to see the madness in the method.
And so the Macksville revitalisation project has been set in motion to uncover, reimagine and celebrate all that glimmered from the town's golden days.
Read more about the project here
Alan was appointed by council to oversee the restoration of a number of shopfronts in the Macksville CBD, including Rob Torelli's Saloon and Music Station; the Bridge Cafe, Valley Emporium and Remnant Basket buildings, jointly owned by the Armadas and Kafes families; and the Department Store owned by Anthony and Felice Burton.
Regretfully, the combined owners of the 'Pharmacy Corner' - the main prize of the original project - had backed away from the dollar-for-dollar restoration offer.
Although none of the buildings are 'burdened' with a State Heritage classification, Alan said he originally approached the project with a fairly faithful and "conservative" vision.
An architectural 'Green Book' commissioned by council a few decades ago made a study of the Macksville buildings, which Alan found to be "a helpful guide to how the verandahs might be restored with historical authenticity".
"There are also good historical records around the place, which I relied on heavily for inspiration," he said.
Scroll through some of the 3D models and before and afters here:
But grainy photographs can only account for so much, and Alan soon took heart from project brainchild Rachel Ward's bold and colourful design.
"Why not go more flamboyant and theatrical? I came to see these buildings more like stage sets, with more fluidity of design choice," he said.
I'm glad I had Rachel's enthusiasm and passion for Macksville to spur me on and make the designs a little more funky.
Alan's pieced together architectural details from tentative clues: The Emporium building will be wrapped again in pressed metal fish scales, the Remnant Basket will get a newly interpreted pediment to crown it.
Rob's Saloon was the first to receive the royal treatment, shortly after the town went into COVID lockdown.
For live-in owner Rob, who went into the project with a "nothing to lose" attitude, the completion of the verandah restoration is a dream come true.
Previously the power lines bordering his building on McKay St made it impossible for him to even touch the peeling paintwork.
"As someone who used to be a professional painter, that wall has been giving me nightmares for five years," he said.
He admires Alan's "simple, but sturdy" design of the verandah and commends the "professionalism and efficiency" of builder Paul Newton.
Rob chose the colours and completed the paintwork on his building himself. And he's proud of the results.
"The response has been phenomenal. People say good on you - it's really brightened up the street. And they really like the colours," he said. "I think they look classy without being 'in your face'."
As the first horse out of the stall, Rob understood the importance of this project for the future of the town, and is proud to have been a part of it.
"I'm not one to hold back from any form of evolution. And I feel like I've been placed here as some sort of facilitator over the evolution of this building," he said.
The way I see it - we've given this building a new lease on life for maybe the next 100 years. Macksville is in the process of a rebirth, and restoring the history gives the place some personality.
"Young people are moving in and they will bring demands on innovation - which I think we need to embrace.
"We could turn this place into a real cultural centre."
And Rob isn't the only business owner who feels this is a turning point for the town.
Adrian and Ali O'Brien are the live-in proprietors of the Bridge Cafe.
"The vibe I'm getting from our customers is that they're proud of the town," Ali said.
It's so different to what it was when I grew up here. Macksville is actually somewhere I want to be now.
With an end-of-July deadline for the work on their building to be completed by local builder, Reece Weaver, they are already noticing the difference it's having on trade.
"It was sort of hidden before as you came over the bridge. Now it's one of the first things you see," Adrian said.
"We had people drive all the way from Harrington the other day just to have lunch here. It's dragging people off the highway," Ali said.
And they're hoping more building owners can see the results and want to be a part of the change.
"If everyone got behind this it could be a real hub," Adrian said.
And if everyone moves forward - if they just take that first step - they'll never look back.
Council General Manager Michael Coulter said since work had started, several property owners have come forward with their desire to be a part of the revitalisation.
The State Government is currently fishing for local projects which could help stimulate towns out of this economic downturn.
And Mr Coulter said he's nominated the continued restoration as one "shovel-ready" project.
"It would be great to keep the project rolling," he said.
"I think everyone would say that for $130,000 in grant funding, it's gone a long way."
Paul Newton is just about to start work on the Department Store facade after a lengthy process burying the overhead electrical wires, but Alan Rudge is pleased that the initial results on River and Princess Sts are already speaking for themselves.
"For the first time in my career I received a letter of thanks from council for exceeding their expectation," he said.
"The beauty of all this is getting rid of the ugliness and mediocrity we've learned to endure, and bringing joy to people's lives again.
I never used to believe it, but the older I get the more I think that good architecture can change people's lives - it raises spirits, it uplifts and engenders civic pride.
"And one of the biggest positives of this project is that it's inspired people - the non-believers have seen the benefits and they're possibly thinking 'why didn't I jump on the bandwagon before'."
And he's got his fingers crossed the building momentum will have just enough buoyancy to inspire the owners of 'Pharmacy Corner', among others.
"If they were to do it, their legacy to the town would be highly significant."